The graphic above shows the cost shift to seniors under the Republican plan – a plan that would end Medicare as it currently exists. The graphic was first published on the Bloomberg News website and was created by Jarrod Barretto. Sources: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities and the Congressional Budget Office.

Tuesday's special election in New York’s 26^th Congressional District wasn’t an ordinary election – it was a referendum on the Republican plan to end Medicare as we know it. In one of the most conservative districts in New York, voters rejected the centerpiece of the Republican plan for our country.

The election outcome sent a stinging message, and the news coverage below tells the story:

New York Times. “Democrat Wins G.O.P. Seat; Rebuke Seen to Medicare Plan.” Democrats scored an upset in one of New York’s most conservative Congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party’s plan to overhaul Medicare. The results set off elation among Democrats and soul-searching among Republicans, who questioned whether they should rethink their party’s commitment to the Medicare plan, which appears to have become a liability heading into the 2012 elections. Voters, who turned out in strikingly large numbers for a special election, said they trusted Ms. Hochul, the county clerk of Erie County, to protect Medicare.

CNN. “Democrat Kathy Hochul wins House seat in New York special election.” Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said, "Tonight's result has far-reaching consequences beyond New York." Schultz said "it demonstrates that Republicans and Independent voters, along with Democrats, will reject extreme policies like ending Medicare that even Newt Gingrich called radical."

Washington Post. “Democrat Hochul wins N.Y. special House election.” Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul won a House special election in western New York on Tuesday night, a Democratic triumph in a conservative district that many regarded a referendum on House Republicans’ efforts to reform Medicare.

New York Times. “G.O.P. on the Defensive as Voters Resist Medicare Plan.” Even before the Republican loss Tuesday night in the race for a vacant House seat from New York — a contest fought in large part over the Medicare proposal — Democrats were clinging to the developments like koalas to eucalyptus trees, hoping that plan’s toxicity among many voters would give them a shot at retaining control of the Senate..."

MSNBC First Read. “First Thoughts: The GOP's wake-up call.” There was a reason why Republican strategists convinced their House candidates last year not to support Paul Ryan’s budget “roadmap” (which included an overhaul of both Medicare and Social Security): Touching popular entitlement programs doesn’t make good politics. So it was striking that, just weeks after taking control of the House (in part by accusing Democrats of raiding Medicare), all but four Republicans voted for Ryan’s budget that phases out Medicare for all Americans under 55. And last night, Republicans received a wake-up call about Medicare’s potency with a Democratic victory in the NY-26 special congressional election, which Kathy Hochul (D) won by four points over Jane Corwin (R), 47%-43%, with independent Jack Davis getting 9%.

For days, I've been reading in the press about the "courage" of a Republican budget proposal that abolishes Medicare to pay for more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires and slashes investments in energy, education, and infrastructure.

On Wednesday, I heard President Obama say exactly what I've been thinking: There's nothing courageous about it.

The Republicans are pledging to cut investments to clean energy by 70 percent, education by 25 percent, and transportation by 30 percent. Their plan would see as many as 50 million people lose their health insurance in order to reduce the deficit. Instead of creating jobs, they want to create $1 trillion in new tax breaks for the wealthy.

That's not a brave vision for the future. It's a rejection of the idea that there are brighter days ahead.

Today, instead of coming together with the President to find common ground, the House of Representatives voted to move the GOP budget proposal forward and privatize Medicare.  If they continue down this road, we'll make sure their constituents know about it. We'll put ads on the air and organizers on the ground, and we'll talk about this vote over and over again. We'll make this stick. 

This week, President Obama offered a path forward that I believe in: $4 trillion in deficit reduction; responsible investments to improve our schools, fix crumbling roads, and develop clean energy; and a total rejection of the notion that spending cuts must come on the backs of seniors and poor children.

He laid out a vision where we all make sacrifices, but none of us is left to bear the burden alone. And he offered a forceful, unapologetic response to those who don't believe in the responsibility we all share to move our country forward together.

This isn't just about this week's vote or the latest shiny object to capture the attention of Washington for a news cycle or two. This is about the very future of this country and the direction we take.

We know that because the Republican plan hasn't just been adopted by a few ideologues in Congress -- it's been embraced by the candidates who want to take President Obama's job.

If we want to win this fight about the direction our country takes, then we must start now -- and we need your help to do it.

Donate $3 or more to help protect Medicare and fight for a plan that makes sense.